The Quest for the Pearls of Thetis
by Nataliya118
Summary: Percy and Annabeth are made gods after the Second Giant War. Percy thinks everything is going fine until he notices that Annabeth is acting strangely. Annabeth has been cursed by a certain sea goddess, and together they are forced into another quest to break the curse. Constructive criticism welcome! ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

**I don't own anything! All rights are reserved to Rick Riordan.**

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 **Prologue**

After the Second Titan War, and Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, fulfilled the Great Prophecy, the gods offered him godhood. However, he turned it down for his friends and family, a chance at a normal life, and most importantly-Annabeth Chase. This pissed off everybody on the council except, well, Lady Aphrodite. Of course, when, after the Second Giant War, and all of the seven were offered godhood to award them for their valor and bravery, Percy accepted with Annabeth by his side. Percy was granted the domain of Atlantis, and became the god of heroes and a minor of the sea.

He achieved his wish of being the Camp Director of Camp Half-Blood and officially replaced Mr. D, who hosted a wild party that lasted for a whole week because he was so relieved to be away from the campers. Percy really loved his new post, although it was rather annoying to be called 'Lord Perseus' or 'Lord Percy' by all the campers (while sniggering behind their hands) who were only a few years younger than he was. Percy's old friends were especially infuriating, as they deliberately set out to frustrate him by calling him 'Grand High God' (Zeus better not hear that). This was started by the Stoll brothers, while Clarisse penned the name 'Lord Prissy'. Even Chiron insisted on calling him with 'Lord' and keeping up with all the formalities, but Percy really wished that his former teacher and mentor would be more casual when addressing him.

The Athena and Hephaestus cabin became busier and busier as the days pass. There was much destruction after the Second Giant War, and things had to be repaired. It was decided that the camp would be redesigned to integrate some of the Roman training methods and provide them with a place to stay during the regular exchanges.

With Percy in a position of power, he was able to make sure that the gods stick to the promises they made after the Second Titan War. He would ensure that no more demigods would be left unclaimed. He made the demigods' life at the camp better, and the conditions for the prisoners of war more reasonable and just. This was one of the reasons he and Annabeth accepted a life of immortality, really. They wanted to keep an eye on the gods and prevent another large-scale war from happening in their lifetime. Two had happened already. Not one, but two.

Percy was for the most part, excluding the fact that the campers made fun of his name, happy. Ecstatic, even. He got to spend the rest of eternity with the girl of his dreams. Annabeth was made a god of architecture, as Athena had relinquished that aspect to her. Though they were both very busy, she with redesigning Olympus and Camp Half-Blood and Percy with his new job as director, they found time to spend with each other and just enjoy being free of the heavy responsibility of saving the world from the brink of destruction.

Everything was going so well. Percy felt content with this 'normalcy' in his life, and more importantly, the lack of quests. Only he had no idea how wrong he was.

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 **This is my first continuous story. Please review so I can improve!**


	2. Chapter 1: Secrecy and Lies

**Annabeth's POV**

I saw Grover showing a new camper who was a sibling of mine around.

"This is the Apollo cabin." Grover said, pointing at said cabin that was so bright it rivaled the sun's rays. "It's currently being reconstructed. As is everything else. When you get more used to life here, you'll be able to help your siblings redesign the camp." He gestured towards a group of people with blonde hair and grey eyes who held up sketch pads and pointed at the cabins, taking notes and measurements.

"Really?" she said excitedly. I smiled. I remember being a young camper. I used to be as enthusiastic as she was, and even though I carried with me an unhappy childhood, I was, for the most part, carefree and worlds away from prophecies, curses and quests.

They walked over to the arena, where Percy was supervising the other campers. Grover said, "That's Lord Percy, the camp's new director. You and the rest of the new campers are very lucky. You get someone who is very passionate about his job, and who genuinely cares about the demigods, unlike the old director, Mr. D." The camper gawks a little and says, "He's so young."

Grover laughed. "He _is_ young. He and the famous Seven are among the youngest gods on Olympus! They attained godhood only a week ago. Of course, most of the gods appear to be in their early twenties." And we had all taken up the age of twenty-one, even though we were only seventeen/eighteen.

Percy finished his instructions on the correct way to put on armor (I taught him that), then made his way over to the new camper to introduce himself.

"Hi," he said. "I'm Percy, the director of the camp here." He gave his signature mischievous grin, and the camper looked a little star-struck. She stuttered, "Hi. Nice to meet you, uh, Lord Percy? What should I call you?"

I smirked as he groaned, "Percy. Please call me Percy. Gods, I wish everyone would stop being so formal! This is a strictly fun zone, and we can all be as causal as we like." The camper smiled, her nervousness gone. He might have gone on longer, but Grover urged the camper in the direction of the armory, where, presumably, Grover would help the new camper choose her weapon. "Perce, we need to go. I still have to show her show her the rest of the camp." Grover said, smiling to show that he wasn't irritated at him. "See you around!" Percy said amiably. Then he noticed me standing close by checking him out and approached me.

"Hey beautiful. Slacking off?" he said, turning on the charm and circling his arms around my waist.

I grinned. "Only for a moment. Then it's work, work, work."

Percy sighed. "We need some 'us' time. Do you want to go for a swim later?"

I almost had a heart attack when he said that. I can't have any contact with water whatsoever!

He's giving me a strange look because I must be looking so flustered, which I normally aren't when he suggests things like this. I realize that he's scrutinizing my neckline, and I know it's because there's something new attached to it. More specifically, a shell necklace with a silver pearl in the center. It was not so concealed by my camp necklace. Noticing the question in his eyes, I quickly say, "The Athena cabin still has a lot of work cut out for them. I have to help them finish the blueprints and do the finishing touches. Maybe some other time." This was partially true. The Athena Cabin had been pulling all-nighters to finish all the floor plans. They're having problems with complicated designs of some new cabins. I _could_ do it all now, but it isn't a must and we can put it off for a small while.

I _am_ very glad that I will be able to spend the rest of eternity with Percy. We are so close that he can tell if anything's bothering me, or if I'm BS-ing. Unfortunately, it makes lying to him so much more difficult. The look he was giving me told me he didn't buy it. "Ok," he said doubtfully. Then the horn signaling lunch was blown and I used this as an excuse and ran off to the dining pavilion, even though as an immortal being neither of us had to eat, or follow the camp rules like 'sitting at our respective parents' table'. I chatted animatedly with my siblings about the camp designs, and my work on Mount Olympus, all the while avoiding Percy's inquisitive gaze.

After lunch I gave Percy a quick peck on the cheek and headed back to the Athena Cabin, effectively cutting off any interrogative questions he might have for me.

I sprinted for my cabin and came face-to-face with Malcolm. Even though he is not a camper anymore, he still comes back regularly to check on things and help out. I'm glad for it, as out of all my siblings I feel that he has got my back the most. "Annabeth!" He said, giving me a bear-hug. It caught me off-guard as I was quite surprised to see him. "Malcolm! I thought you weren't arriving till tomorrow!" I had planned to hide out here for the rest of the afternoon, and give Percy excuses of heavy workload in case he came in here to drag me to the beach. Malcolm's arrival might prove to be a hindrance to this plan of mine, as he could take over and lead the cabin.

"Alright guys," I said authoritatively. "Let's bring out the blueprint for the Hermes cabin. We need to make this cabin more spacious and inviting, since this will also double as the place for the unclaimed demigods to stay at until they are claimed." The other cabins were not going to have any major changes done on them, but the Hermes cabin is finally having a much needed renovation. It would improve the living conditions for the children Hermes and the unclaimed campers. As I sketched some outlines onto a sheet of clean paper, someone knocked on the cabin door. I had a sense of foreboding even before I heard the suggestive comments of my siblings and Percy's deep voice asking, "Is Annabeth here?"

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 **I'd like to clarify that my story takes place after the Second Giant War, and doesn't include the Trials of Apollo. Please review to tell me what you think of my story!**


	3. Chapter 2: Hard Truths are Revealed

**A/N: Do you like it? I hope you do! Sorry for any grammatical errors or misspelled words. Thanks for taking the time to read this! RxR!**

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 **Percy's POV**

"Is Annabeth here?" I asked, peering through the doorway. I had gone to the Athena cabin to look for her, since even though we were both given cabins of our own, they are unfinished and we were staying at the Athena and Poseidon cabin respectively.

One of her sisters raised her eyebrows at me and I heard a few suggestive comments reverberating around the room. Her sister pointed at Annabeth who was at the table drawing an outline of something. She looked up at me and I saw undisguised panic on her delicate features before she quickly masked it. Anyone else might not have noticed since it had only taken place for a split second, but I had known her for too long to be fooled. She smiled at me, showing a row of straight, white teeth. "Hi Percy!" Her siblings, detecting some tension in the air, gawked at us like we were celebrities on a reality show. "I know you want to go swimming, but I'm very busy with these blueprints. Maybe some other-"

I cut her off. "No excuses. Malcolm is here." I gestured to him. "And he can take over your work for you." Malcolm confirmed this by nodding. She turned to Malcolm with a look of betrayal in her eyes. "So we are going to the beach." I said firmly. "I'll wait you for you outside." Annabeth hesitated.

Malcolm came to my rescue. "Go." He gently pushed her. "You deserve a break. You've been working yourself to the bone. Even immortals need a break sometimes." She nodded with a look of resignation, similar to, I imagine, what I sacrificial lamb looks like before it is slaughtered. What's up with her? She never usually looks that stressed about going to the beach. In fact, she usually jumps at it. She has told me many times that she feels calm there.

I waited a little impatiently outside, tapping my foot on the ground. After a couple of minutes, Annabeth emerged from the cabin wearing an old T-shirt of mine over her swimsuit. She looked quite sexy. "You ready?" I asked. She shrugged noncommittally and we headed to the beach, Annabeth dragging her feet behind her.

We arrived at the beach, where there were only a handful of campers there suntanning or playing volleyball.

"Percy, I'm not sure about this. It looks pretty rough today." Annabeth said, pointing at the sea. She started walking backwards, edging further and further away from the sea, putting as much distance between herself and the water as she possibly could. "Nothing I can't fix," I said. I couldn't explain why I had to take Annabeth to the water, I just had to. I made the waters calm as I carried her bridal style towards the sea. She tried protesting, but it was too little, too late. I had tossed her into the water before she could even attempt to break my hold. I gaped at her as she sat up in the water, gasping and spluttering. Instead a pair of legs, where they were supposed to be was replaced by a shimmering silvery-grey tail. We stared at each other for awhile, me in dumb shock and she in apprehension. Then - "Annabeth-" but she had already swam off.

I found her a short ways from the camp at an underwater cave. She was sobbing gently, something I wasn't used to seeing. Hoping to lighten the mood, I said, "You know, if you were trying to run away from me, you shouldn't go into the sea. It's kind of my element." She sobbed harder. "Come on! I'm not that hideous, am l?" That warranted a small smile from her, though she still looked distressed. She still hadn't spoken yet, but I had to find out the truth. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" I asked.

"I couldn't! You don't understand." she said as she wiped tears off her beautiful face. She had stopped crying, and was now hiccuping softly.

"Then help me understand." I pleaded. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened." "That's exactly what I don't want. For you to jump into action every time something happens to anyone close to you, like some kind of hero. Which you technically are, but I just don't want to rely on you. You had more than enough on your plate with your new job."

I took her hand in mine, gently rubbing circles on her palm. "Please," I begged. "Tell me what happened."

She sighed. "It was so unexpected. So out of the blue. I was walking along the beach after a stressful meting on design with some of the gods, when Thetis appeared to me. I was surprised, the least. I could think of no conceivable reason why she would seek me out. When she appeared, she definitely did not look happy. She told me that she hated me, because I had everything I could ever want in the world right now. Family, friends, love, a career. So she would take something away from me, and turn me into a recluse so that I would slowly lose the very things that she craves. Friends, family," She looked deep into my eyes. "You." I felt my heart break. I would make Thetis pay for hurting Annabeth like that.

She continued her story. "She turned me into a mermaid, and gave me this necklace." She showed the very necklace that I had scrutinized earlier that day. "See the pearls here? Once all of them turn blue, the curse is permanent. If I manage to achieve something before that, then the curse will be broken."

He gripped my hand. "Whatever it is, we're in this together. What is it that we have to do?"

She shook her head. "That's just the thing. I don't know. She wouldn't tell me, and said it was for me to figure out."

"How long have you been hiding this from me?" I asked hoarsely. "Two days after we were turned immortal." She stared at her hands. My breath caught when I realized that she had been holding this secret inside her for a week already. She had to take care of the new blueprints in the camp, the new designs for Mount Olympus, all the while hiding the truth from everyone else and me in particular, who was so close to the water, and making sure that she herself didn't come into contact with water in front of anyone, which is a lot more exhausting than it sounds. That would have pushed anyone past the breaking point.

"I'll take care of you. I promise." I said to Annabeth. "I'm sorry." I said earnestly, looking her straight in the eye. "If I had known, I never would have thrown you into the water." She smiled sadly. "It's alright. You hadn't known. In a way, this is better. I don't have to hide anymore."

I studied her. Her princess curls were in a high ponytail that stopped just before the end of her tail. Strands of hair framed the sides of her face. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear, and I noticed that her pearl earrings brought out her large luminous eyes. One thing's for sure. I wasn't going to let anything happen to her.


	4. Chapter 3: Prophecies and Quests

**A/N: I'm dedicating this chapter to my first reviewer, AnnaUnicorn. Thank you so much for reading!**

 **I hope you guys like this chapter! RxR!**

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 **Annabeth's POV**

He's staring at me. My cheeks felt very hot. I stared down at my lap. What might he be thinking? The one chance we have at a happy life, and I've ruined it. He was still holding my hand in his, which was reassuring. It was warm and solid, and I wondered why I even worried in the first place. He leaned forward and brushed away some tendrils of hair that had fallen over my face.

I straightened. While I wanted to stay down here, undisturbed by campers, blueprints and responsibility, I knew I had to face reality soon. Best not put it off. I took a deep, calming breath. "I think it's time to go back."

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When we reached the shore, Percy carried me out of the water in his arms since I couldn't return to my human form without being completely dry. Hiding behind a conveniently placed rock, he used his powers to take all the moisture off me and my tail morphed into legs.

We reached the shore, where the other campers were quite far away from us, so it felt like Percy and I were the only ones on the beach. "We need to call a meeting," I told Percy. "We need to tell the campers what's happening and explore how we can fix this." He put his arms around my waist, "That's so typical of you, Wise Girl," he complained. "To do the responsible thing." I grinned. "That's why you love me, Seaweed Brain." He ran his fingers through my hair. "True," he said agreeably.

The moment was ruined when the volleyball players accidentally threw the ball too far and almost hit us. "Sorry!" they yelled. My smile disappeared as I remembered what I had to do. We looked at each other and communicated silently. Percy said, "Let's go find Chiron."

We rushed briskly, hand in hand, to the Big House in search of Chiron, and I had an uncomfortable memory of Tartarus, of the times we were constantly running from danger, with only the comfort of each other. No, I thought. I quickly suppressed that memory.

"Call a meeting." Percy said to Chiron. "There's something important we need to tell you and the camp." I really appreciated how he used 'we' without hesitation. It showed that we were in this together, and that he would always have my back.

Chiron looked from me to Percy, and sensed the urgency. Moments later he and all of the campers were waiting for us in the amphitheater.

I explained to all of the campers about my curse. "About a week ago, a curse was placed on me." There was a collective gasp in the background. I plowed on. "The curse was inflicted on me by the sea goddess, Thetis, and whenever I come into contact with water, I turn into a mermaid."

A daughter of Aphrodite said dreamily, "I would love that."

"It's not as romantic as it sounds," I said sharply. "There are many factors to this curse." I lifted my pearl necklace from my neck and held it up for everyone to see. "If I don't manage to figure out what twisted thing it is that she wants me to achieve for her before all these pearls turn blue, I'll be a mermaid forever, and that really limits what I'll be able to do. For example, I can't supervise the construction on Mount Olympus and here in the camp. With everything so disorganised, we and the gods are weakened.

"Also, with me out of the way, I'm worried that she or other disagreeable characters will launch an attack on the camp and cause another war." Everyone shuddered. We're all thinking of the previous wars that had happened, and how we definitely don't want another one."

Someone lamented. "And we won't be able to eat tacos anymore if there's a war and the world ends!" He was pushed by his friends. "What's wrong with you?" "Shut up!"

I ignored this. "Now the most important thing is to figure out what it is that Thetis wants. When we know, we can to do it before-"

As if on cue Rachel doubled over like she had been punched hard in the stomach. Her eyes shone with green light. She stiffened as green smoke poured out of her mouth. When she spoke her voice had the likeness of a raspy snake and there were multiple voices speaking as one.

 _"The immortal lovebirds shall travel far and near, to seek those which Thetis holds dear. The silver pearl is present, the rest lie iridescent. Red, orange, golden and green. Blue, indigo, violet and black."_

Two children of Hebe rushed forward to catch Rachel just as she collapsed, and helped her onto the three-legged bronze stool that their sibling had already brought out.

Pandemonium broke out immediately.

"We're doomed!" "What are you talking about? You don't even know what the prophecy is about!" "That was a lot of color at the end. Don't indigo and violet both mean purple?" "Well, the peace was fun while it lasted."

Chiron held his hands out and the campers calmed down somewhat. "The answer is given to us! We are to have a quest! Percy and Annabeth will go and break the curse!"

I had thought that being a god meant you didn't have to go on quests. With a new prophecy in place, it looked as if Percy and I were going to have a massive throwback to all those times we went on quests.

"Well," Percy said, trying to brightened the mood. "On the positive side, at least we won't die as easily now that we're immortal."

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 **Hahaha Sorry about my bad poetry.**  
 **I'll be returning to school on Monday, back from the Chinese New Year holidays, so I'll be a lot busier. I'll do my best to post a new chapter each week!**

 **~ Nataliya118**


	5. Chapter 4: Guidance is Given

**A/N: Sorry for not updating sooner. I was busy with school :(**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the PJO or HoO series!**

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 **Percy's POV**

My initial reaction after hearing the prophecy was to scream and pull all my hair out, but that would be really undignified (why the heck would I use this word? Annabeth's human dictionary tendencies must be rubbing off on me.)

"Alright," Chiron said. "So you guys know what's happening, and our camp director Lord Perseus," I winced. "Will be taking a short break to go on a quest with Lady Annabeth. I will take over his duties for the time being." After that he made other announcements about Capture the Flag, which would be held later that day. The campers resumed their activities like nothing had happened. Except Annabeth. And me.

The mood was way too depressing. I put my arm around her shoulders as we walked to the pier. "So? What have you come up with?"

Annabeth started. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Come on, I know you. You started analysing the prophecy the moment you heard it."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "That _is_ true, but you don't need to point it out. Ok, so we obviously have to find something Thetis treasures. _To seek that which Thetis holds dear._ Any clues on what a bitter sea goddess wants?"

I shook my head. "No, but I'm sure some of the sea creatures would."

"Well, whatever it is, it definitely has something to do with pearls. The prophecy mentions that 'the silver pearl is present'. I was thinking," she took out her necklace. "That it had something to do with this."

We both stared at the shiny silver pearl at the center of her necklace. The ones surrounding it were beautiful, sure, but that pearl outshone all the others with its brilliance and bewitching beauty. It almost seemed to call out to us, to sing a siren song. I was drawn it by it, entranced by it, yet…

It made me slightly uneasy.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too." I tried not to show my discomfort.

Annabeth swallowed hard as she slipped the necklace back under her shirt. We had reached the pier, but she looked away from the sea.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Annabeth sighed. "It's just, I thought that after we had won two wars, we could have some time for ourselves instead of running around to do another god's bidding. I don't mean to sound downbeat, but this sucks."

"It does," I concurred. "But hey," I held her face gently in my hands. "We leave tomorrow. We still have the rest of today to ourselves. From now on, no more thinking about the quest."

"Alright," she agreed. I leaned forward and kissed her.

The plan to put the quest out of our minds quickly went to crash and burn when a certain goddess with an intense dislike for me showed up.

"Ahem."

We jumped apart.

"It is generally known that I do not approve of your relationship with the sea spawn, but oh well, young gods these days, they have absolutely no respect." The Goddess of Wisdom declared. Annabeth crossed her arms, making clear the fact that there was no love lost between them. "What do you want?"

"Annabeth dear, you're my favorite, and since you have been so unfortunately cursed, I feel obliged to provide you with some advice to start you on your journey."

Annabeth raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Do you now?"

I could see that even though Annabeth wasn't happy about her mother's intrusion, her help was quite welcome. As to where we would even begin going to, I was completely clueless about.

"The items that you should find will be revealed in the folklore of Talora. To find _that,_ you'll need to travel to the west coast – to California."

"Great," I muttered. "The other side of the country."

Athena glared. "I think, _Perseus_ , that you'll find travelling quite convenient now that you can simply zap yourself to wherever you want.

"Anyway, I think that armed with that piece of information, you should be able to carry on with the rest of your quest."

And she left in a beam of light, which, had we still been mortal, would have incinerated us because we had not looked away.

"That's it?" Annabeth screeched. "She shows up all gallant and heroic to help us and that's it?"

"Well, I guess I don't need to ask you what you made of that then."

Annabeth continued her rant. "And did you hear the way she called me 'dear'? She's never done that before. I think she has something to gain from us succeeding in this quest—other than the fact that my curse will be broken. Mark my words, this is going to end up with us cleaning up the mess of the other gods."

And with that happy thought, we went to our cabins to get some sleep in.

* * *

I waited for Annabeth outside of her cabin the next morning. She came out holding her gray backpack with the owl design. It was stuffed to the brim, and looked as though extra manpower was required to close it. "Traveling light?" I asked sarcastically.

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 **Thanks for reading! Constructive criticism is welcome! Seriously I want to improve :)**

 **~ Nataliya118**


	6. Chapter 5: The Folklore of Talora

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO, nor do I own Louise Cooper's Mermaid Curse series, from which I have borrowed the concept of the pearls.**

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 **Annabeth's POV**

Percy was making fun of my motto of 'Always, always have a plan'. I had packed a few maps, a notebook, extra knives and matches, ambrosia and nectar, as well as extra clothes (Percy's not going to be laughing when his clothes get ruined). Even though I could zap these things out of nothingness, I still liked the feeling of knowing that these items were something within reach, something tangible.

Even after Percy and I had become gods, we still acted as though we were humans. The only thing we had gotten used to were our godly responsibilities; the rest was all still very new to us.

We walked towards to camp border hand in hand, the campers waving goodbye enthusiastically (while they loved Percy and he was a much better camp director than Mr. D, he had implemented a lot of tough training to ensure the campers were in shape).

"Ready?" Percy asked.

I raised my eyebrows. "I always am."

* * *

California was hot. The blistering heat beat down on our backs as we throttled as many deities as we could find for information on the folklore of Talora. No one knew anything.

"This is hopeless," Percy grunted as he threw the minor water deity back into the sea. I felt inclined to agree with him, but voicing out my fears would make my desperation too apparent. Gods did need rest from time to time, but instead of sleeping last night I had scourged the Internet and our personal library for clues on Athena's marginal advice. My search had been as fruitless as the one we were having now. The lack of sleep and constant failures were starting to get to me.

"Did you see that?" Percy said suddenly. I nodded. I had detected a movement in my peripheral vision. We slowly inched our way to a back alleyway.

"Well, well, how very perceptive of you young godlings to notice my presence." The woman who spoke looked beautiful, but there was something really disingenuous about her being. She sounded like she was in one of those high school cliques, and she was about to reveal the latest gossip.

She wound a finger around her silky black hair. "I hear you're looking for information about a certain immortal being by the name of-" and here she paused dramatically. "Talora."

We had seen it coming, but we still gasped. The woman smiled, showing teeth.

"Who are you?" I demanded. I was irked I hadn't figured it out already.

"Sweet Annabeth," she purred.

"Honestly, what is it with people _who are not my boyfriend_ using terms of endearment to me?" I grumbled.

"You don't have to be disappointed that you don't know who I am. I'm not a major Greek deity. I am Pheme!" she said with a great amount of self-importance.

"Who?" Percy said intelligently. I wanted to elbow him. Years of meeting various deities apparently hadn't taught him to feign knowledge of them.

She only chuckled though. "I am the goddess of fame and renown, and I've also been told that I'm a tremendous gossip. Whatevsies, I say to that. Anyway, I _love_ prying into the affairs of mortals and gods.

The goddess continued. "I will tell you the folklore of Talora, on one condition." She gave us a serious expression.

"What is it?" I asked, feeling dread. What was she going to ask us to do? Slay a monster? Collect golden apples? Ask another god to stop trespassing? We couldn't do many of those things anymore, given that we were no longer demigods. We might, I thought with dread, have to send out other heroes to do our dirty work for us. I did not want to have to resort to that.

"I want you to fix my iPhone **(Not a promo)**!" she decreed. "I need to catch up on the latest gossip." **  
**  
"What? I can do that." I breathed a sigh of relief. I had it fixed in under a minute. A child of Hephaestus would have considered it not worth their time.

"Well?" Percy demanded. "Are you going to tell us what it is now?

"Yes. Ahem." She cleared her throat. "It was a dark and stormy night," she said, taking out a flashlight and shining it on her face, even though we were in broad daylight.

"Seriously?" I protested. "Can you stop with the dramatics? We just want the story."

"Alright." She sighed. "I just really wanted to do that. Jeez. Ok," she went on, more serious and businesslike. "You think the Greek gods are old? Well, Talora is a being much, much older than that. She's one of the primordial beings. There are others, but we won't get into that now. Talora presides over the sea. One of her symbols is the pearl. According to the folklore, she possesses a crown with nine pearls, each of a different color, but each, as brilliant as the next. The colors are red, orange, golden-"

"Green, blue, indigo, violet, silver and black," I recited softly. She looked mad that someone had taken over her precious storytelling. "Sorry," I said sheepishly.

"These pearls that were once part of the Talora's crown all have their own magic. However, the black and the silver pearl possess the greatest magic of all. When combined, these pearls have a power greater than you can imagine. They have the power to create or destroy entire universes. If it falls into the wrong hands, things will be… _very bad_."

Percy and I looked at each other. Our expressions were both grim. Did a vindictive and vengeful goddess count as _the wrong hands_? Um, j'yeah. Were things bad? Definitely. How were we going to continue on with our _secret_ quest when we were obviously being not too discreet (if a goddess could find us so easily), make sure I don't turn into a mermaid permanently, _and_ not let the pearls fall into the wrong hands? Also, what magic did each pearl possess?

I turned to Pheme earnestly. "Could you tell us where we should start looking for the pearls?"

She snorted. "If I knew where they were, I wouldn't be standing here right now. All I know is that the pearls are scattered all around the world, separated, each in the hands of a different guardian." She smiled, as though imagining what the world would look like with her as its dictator.

Her smile turned feral as she focused her gaze on my neck. "And it seems as though you don't have much time left."

I looked down. Sure enough, the two pearls at the side of my necklace turned from bone-white to a pale, milky blue.

* * *

 **So, this chapter was a little weird. Hope you enjoyed it anyway!**

 **~ Nataliya118**


	7. Chapter 6: A Friendly Guardian

**Percy's POV**

I didn't realize that we were back at the beach until I smelled the salty sea breeze. I was still obsessing over what Pheme had told us. We now knew that we had to look for eight different colored pearls - at least that much of our quest was clear. But where we would even begin to look for the pearls, I had no way of knowing.

I stood in the water and sighed. Annabeth stayed a safe distance away, lest the Mist think that now would be a fun time to _not_ conceal her tail.

The water lapped reassuringly around my feet, and I once again thought of how sad it was that I couldn't share this with Annabeth now. At least, not until we find a way to break her curse.

The waves continued to break along the shore, and I noticed that they were becoming quicker and more insistent.

A woman rose slowly out of the water, and neither Annabeth nor I were too surprised to see her.

Her hair long and dark, and fell to her waist. It was strewn with pearls in elaborate braids.

"Hello, children." She looked really nice and sweet. I was wary, since I knew too well how looks could be deceiving.

Her voice was low and gentle. "There is not much that happens in the sea that I am not aware of, and I know of what the Greek goddess Thetis has done to you." She looked at Annabeth sympathetically.

Annabeth choose to ignore her pity. "You're not Greek then." She cut to the chase.

"Indeed, I am not. My name is Una. I am a Celtic deity, and also one of the guardians of the pearls of Talora."

Annabeth reeled back as if she'd been slapped. "What is this?" she demanded. "Why is it all of a sudden everyone from all corners of the spectrum knows what's happening with us?

Una shrugged her delicate shoulders. "I'm not sure about anyone else, but for us guardians, we always keep an ear out for any threats to the pearls. Thetis is a definite threat. Not to mention most of us are sea deities, so when another goddess rampages, we'll notice. Those things travel through the network."

Around us, the people on the beach more or less ignored us. Nearby, a group of children were playing with a ball. One boy threw too hard and it missed us narrowly. He rushed passed us as if we didn't exist.

"Fine." I held out my hands complacently. "So you're a guardian. Could we work out an agreement? Do you think you could give whatever pearl it is that you're guarding to us and we promise we won't blow up the world?"

"Alright," she said without batting an eyelid.

Annabeth blinked. "What? Really?"

I didn't expect this. I knew from experience that people expect things in exchange. "Why would you just give it to us?" I asked suspiciously.

"I may be a guardian, but should I stand against Thetis, I will fall. The reason I'm giving the pearl to you is because I believe you will be able to protect the pearls much better than I can, and also because I trust you. You two are the kindest souls I have seen in a while."

Annabeth and I looked at each other, many silent messages passing between us. Was Una to be trusted? Could we really just take the pearl and go?

"Thank you," I said finally.

Una held up a clam shell. It opened on its own. Nestled inside was a pearl of brilliant brightness that shone like a second sun. I reached forward and took the pearl reverently. The golden color reflected the sunlight, blinding me for a second.

Beside me, Annabeth was also gazing at the pearl in wonder. "It's beautiful," she breathed.

Una exhaled deeply as if a great weight had been lifted off her. I wondered how long she had been looking after the golden pearl, guarding it from evil beings and making sure that it didn't fall into the wrong hands.

"So," she said, clasping her hands in front of her once again. "Now you have the golden pearl. I dare say that it was easy, but I'm afraid to tell you that the rest won't be as easy to obtain. Some of the other guardians are much more cautious and less trusting, not to mention you might run into all sorts of obstacles during your quests."

"Yippee." I muttered. "I've never gone through _that_ before."

Una's lips twitched as if she were holding back a smile. "I cannot give you any more information on where the other guardians reside as it is forbidden. However, I do wish to see you succeed, so I will leave you with one last parting gift."

She slowly sank back into the water before disappearing completely, leaving only a faint smell of the sea breeze and four-leaf clovers.

"What did she mean, gift?" I asked confusedly.

"There." Annabeth's sharp eyes had caught something. I picked an object out of the water. It was a music box with a beautiful intricate design, engraved with mother of pearl. I could tell that it had been made of white foam waves. I opened it gently. There, engraved on the inside of the lid, were the words 'Luxembourg'.

Great. I've always wanted a trip to Europe.


	8. Chapter 7: A Trip to Europe

**Annabeth's POV**

We appeared in Luxembourg seconds later, still in disbelief from our encounter with Una.

I was still in awe at the sight of the golden pearl, which was now safely tucked away in a hidden compartment in the music box that I had found.

Acquiring the golden pearl had been _way_ too easy. It would be stupid to think that the rest are as easy to find.

Still, maybe it's an auspicious sign that the rest of our quest will be smooth.

I relayed my thoughts to Percy. Ever the downer, he said, "Or more likely we've already used up all our luck, and the rest of our journey will be difficult."

I smacked him. "You'll jinx it!" I cried.

Percy sighed. "I'm only speaking from experience."

It pained me that Percy, who was actually the more optimistic the two of us, was thinking like this. This just goes to show how reality can break people down.

We had appeared in a little town, materializing a little way from the people so as not to attract too much unwanted attention. We decided to pose as tourists from America(in a way we were) who were interested in visiting all the nearby bodies of waters.

The man at the tourism office simply shrugged when we told him this, as if to say, whatever, I've seen it all. He produced a map and circled a few rivers and lakes. "You can start there," he said.

We thanked him and left to enter the forest area.

We had not gone three meters before a monster stepped out from behind a tree and yelled, "Boo!"

Then, "Oh. You're not children? I think I'll still enjoy chasing you and eating you." He smiled menacingly and rubbed his hands together.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I really don't have time for this."

Beside me, Percy was also frowning. "Look man, if you just let us pass, we won't kill you. We're on a quest, and we don't have much time to lose. We'd appreciate it if you don't take up our time by making us kill you."

"Ever the gentleman," I murmured.

The monster laughed. "Ha! I'm not afraid of you!"

I smirked. "Actually, I think you should be. Just because we're gods, we can still kick as much butt as the next demigod."

The monster doubled over, snorting with laughter. "Gods going on a quest!" he chortled. "Oh, that's rich! I've never heard of that!"

Percy scowled. "That's it. I'm getting rid of him. I don't care if gods are supposed to let demigods kill them or whatever."

I nodded. "We can always claim incompetence. We are, after all, still new to this whole god business."

The monster suddenly looked shocked. "Wait. You're the new gods? I can't fight you - I don't want to die yet! I still have things to do, dreams to accomplish. I've always wanted to be a singer."

And then he ran as fast as his stumpy legs could carry him.

We stared after him, open mouthed. "What a strange character," I murmured.

We continued onwards, nearing a long lake.

"We're close to a water source now. The water deity might know about our quest too, if past experience is anything to go by," I mused.

As soon as I had finished speaking the water from the lake rose and a figure emerged from the veil of water.

"Speak of the devil," Percy muttered.


End file.
